In case you missed it … Justin Welby, the Quiet Revival, Fred Sanders on the Trinity and Christology, Dutch driving, and Kemi Badenoch’s loss of faith.| Anthony Smith
Under the surface of the Assisted Dying Bill, we find two of our culture’s values, rooted in Christianity, but given a secular twist.| Anthony Smith
Christian. Husband. Vicar near Darlington (Middleton St George, Hurworth, Girsby, Dinsdale). Was: organist, astronomer, software developer. Singer.| Anthony Smith
A few thoughts on this 2019 bestseller, which I read a couple of years ago.| Anthony Smith
My article for the August ‘Crossways’ church newsletter. How do we cope when tragedy strikes? Is life like a tapestry?| Anthony Smith
Which is going to triumph? Darkness or light? The date of Easter gives us a helpful reminder about the triumph of light over darkness.| Anthony Smith
In case you missed it … 10 things I’ve recently shared elsewhere. (1) The Archbishop of Canterbury is resigning. But do you know his name? This is very striking (Church Times): [Two days after Justin Welby announced his resignation], “in another YouGov poll, 5856 UK adults were asked whether they had a ‘favourable or unfavourable opinion’ of the Archbishop: 42 per cent said that they had not heard of him… “A wider YouGov poll was taken a week earlier … Of the weighted sample o...| Anthony Smith
Continuing to read some Grove Booklets about churches and schools and church schools (see previous posts on church schools and collective worship).| Anthony Smith
The story of Corinth was a story of success. But Paul wrote to the church in Corinth about his hardships. Why? The answer lies in the cross.| Anthony Smith
Jesus wasn’t born in a stable. He was born in the living room, where the animals feed, because there was no room in the guest room (not the ‘inn’). But that isn’t the point. Luke, in his Gospel, isn’t interested in the fact that Jesus wasn’t born in a stable. Now, in our our day, we might need to spend a bit of time deconstructing some interpretations that have developed around the mistaken idea that Jesus was born in the stable. But if we devote too much attention to that task of...| Anthony Smith
A brief Christmas message, included in Christmas cards and newsletters distributed around the Riverside Parishes (near Darlington). Nostalgia. I try to avoid it, but it keeps bugging me. Especially at Christmas. Memories of childhood come to mind: the decorations, the anticipation, the excitement, the presents, the food … happy family times! It’s not often that churches are full these days. But lots of churches are getting bumper attendances at Christmas time (though not on Christmas Day,...| Anthony Smith
… the donkey. I hate to break it to you. But there is no donkey. In the Bible, at least. There were donkeys around at the time, of course. And there are donkeys in the Bible. But no donkeys are mentioned in relation to the Nativity. (There probably wasn’t a cattle shed either.) To help set the record straight, a more historically-accurate Christmas song to offer have I… Not a donkey! Not a donkey! Not a cattle shed! We don’t know how Mary travelled – Was it on a sled? How did they g...| Anthony Smith
In case you missed it … 12 things I’ve recently shared elsewhere. (1) Gordon Brown arguing that we need to be shown ‘the benefits of cooperation’: a majority ‘now see life as a zero-sum game. … In every major European country, the results are dramatic: 59% of British respondents believe they can only enhance their personal wealth if others do badly, and just 17% disregarded this notion.’ (2) Gender-distressed children ‘need reassurance, not scaremongering’. Helpful new facts...| Anthony Smith
The best thing about this book is the way the author combines truth with grace.| Anthony Smith
Continuing on the theme of schools, church schools in particular, a couple more Grove Booklets, this time about collective worship (assemblies and more).| Anthony Smith
“Grace is everywhere in Second Temple Judaism but not everywhere the same.” With this statement, John Barclay begins to clarify the meaning of “grace”.| Anthony Smith
On 6 August 2023, I was licensed as vicar of the Riverside Parishes near Darlington. As the anniversary approaches, time for a bit of reflection.| Anthony Smith
Many children are in Church of England schools. I’ve been reading a few bits and pieces to help me to understand what church schools are all about.| Anthony Smith
An ‘apocalyptic’ way of understanding Galatians emphasises the fact that something new has been revealed in the Christ-event, which has changed everything.| Anthony Smith
What are the main theses of this epoch-changing book, published in 1977?| Anthony Smith
In case you missed it … organs, Monteverdi, leadership, Tom Holland, Justin Brierley, Selah, Catherine Heymans, Jeremy Begbie, Dawkins, Allan Bibles …| Anthony Smith
Many church ministers today find themselves leading multiple congregations. But there are no obvious ‘must read’ books on this kind of leadership.| Anthony Smith
Hans Boersma unpacks the four steps of lectio divina: lectio, meditatio, oratio and contemplatio. Could they form the basis of a Bible study?| Anthony Smith
‘God’s freedom and our freedom are … directly proportional. Therefore, the more that God acts upon us, the more we ourselves are enabled to act.’| Anthony Smith
Before reading or praying one of the psalms, it can often be helpful to get yourself in the right frame of mind. So here is a brief heading for each psalm.| Anthony Smith
A brief Christmas message, included in Christmas cards distributed around the Riverside Parishes (near Darlington), drawing on my background in astronomy.| Anthony Smith
As a multi-parish vicar, I was quite excited by the launch of this book. But the key thing to know is that it is part of a wider set of resources.| Anthony Smith
As I approach the 90-day mark as a vicar, time for a quick post pointing to a couple of resources on that topic.| Anthony Smith
The purpose of this short booklet is primarily to tell you what to expect when making the transition from curate to vicar (or similar).| Anthony Smith
With paid clergy numbers falling, should we be raising up other people to lead smaller churches?| Anthony Smith
What are pastors for? Many of them have forgotten. According to Eugene Peterson, ‘The pastor’s responsibility is to keep the community attentive to God.’| Anthony Smith
The book covers both sides of the divide between professional (choral) and congregational music, but I focus on the latter in this post.| Anthony Smith
In case you missed it … Alamire, friendship, local archaeology, Vaughan Roberts, Mastodon, psalmody, Auckland Project, Stellarium Mobile, Andy Byers.| Anthony Smith
I recently finished reading the ESV Study Bible. Here are a few thoughts about it, and about study Bibles in general.| Anthony Smith
My article for the June ‘Crossways’ church newsletter. Why is it so important to think about the Holy Spirit?| Anthony Smith
My article for the February ‘Crossways’ church newsletter. You shall be true to yourself? Instead, Jesus calls us to self-denial. What does this mean?| Anthony Smith
I’ve attempted several times to get my head round the (pre-modern) four ‘senses’ of Scripture, but Timothy Ward gives a particularly clear explanation.| Anthony Smith
Calls are growing to disestablish the Church of England. Surely Christians ought to resist these calls, right? Not according to Jonathan Chaplin.| Anthony Smith
My article for the November ‘Crossways’ church newsletter. How should we respond when the world is in a mess? We need to look to the future.| Anthony Smith